Pedro Antonio Rodriguez dies aged 37: Boxer found dead in hotel room just hours after loss with rival ‘truly devastated'
The Mexcian super-bantamweight fighter was unanimously beaten by Phillip Vella in a bout in the US on Saturday evening.
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Rodriguez, born in Durango, Mexico, fought in Phoenix, Arizona, over the weekend at the American Royal Palace.
The clash, titled the 'Brawl in the Barrio,' was commissioned by the Arizona Boxing and MMA Commission and organised by Del Sol Boxing Promotions.
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The Independent
19 minutes ago
- The Independent
Usyk's unconventional training methods for Dubois rematch that could give him the edge
Knockout power is the eye-catching attribute in the boxing world, but it's far from the be-all and end-all for a great fighter. And given his undefeated record, collection of belts and list of conquests, Oleksandr Usyk is undoubtedly one of the greats. Arguably his greatest weapon is his brain. He appears to solve fights like a puzzle, figuring out his opponents early on before dominating later rounds. The fact he is technically immaculate never hurts either. Part of the reason the 38-year-old continues to hold these advantages over more junior opponents such as Daniel Dubois is his team's fastidious approach to training. Nothing is random; everything is measured; all actions have rationale. This can be seen in two videos released by Usyk's strength and conditioning coach Jakub Chycki over the last year. Both clips comprise a blend of strength-building staples – the likes of trap bar deadlifts, bench presses and overhead presses – alongside more obscure exercises which may raise the eyebrows of the uninitiated. However, when you dig into the exercises in the latter camp, their carry-over to boxing is immense. I asked plyometrics specialist and Plus Plyos founder Matt McInnes Watson to analyse the movements and explain why they are so valuable. Medicine ball catch into slam The first exercises to focus on are medicine ball catches, immediately followed by a powerful medicine ball throw, as seen above. Starting the exercise by receiving the ball overhead with his back rounded over a bosu ball, Usyk takes his anterior core – the muscles on the front of his midsection – through an eccentric contraction (sometimes referred to as the 'lowering' portion of a lift, where the primary working muscles are lengthening). Targeting this can help improve our deceleration ability. 'Boxing is about accelerating the arm and then decelerating it at the right time,' McInnes Watson explains. 'If you don't have the deceleration, you're just going to bail all the way through [a punch] and you're not going to return to your homeostasis, or whatever you want to call your normal stance. 'We know the best boxers get in and out [of each strike] really quickly, and without that anterior core decelerating ability you're going to really struggle with this. 'Without it, you're going to lose your postural control and lose the positions of the torso [which allow you to] continue to punch or receive punches.' Usyk also performs medicine ball catches and throws while standing, receiving the ball from one side then arcing it up and over his head before slamming it against the floor – a movement often referred to as a rainbow slam, which can be seen 53 seconds into the video below. This variation of the exercise has further benefits for boxers, McInnes Watson says. 'When you're boxing or doing striking sports, there has to be an expression of force that comes up from the ground, then is expressed either through the hand or through an implement,' he explains. During this exercise, Usyk has to catch the medicine ball then generate power through the ground, transfer this through his core then exert it through his arms to throw the ball – the same journey through the kinetic chain needed when throwing a punch. 'And it's rotational,' McInnes Watson adds. 'Fighting is primarily rotational in the way that force is exerted through the hand as an athlete strikes – [the body twists as the punch is thrown, then retracted]. This will be a good exercise in terms of expressing force, and a great exercise in terms of rotational capacity.' Muscles do not just initiate movement of the body; they resist it as well. If they did not, every punch landed in a boxing match would be a knockout blow. So, it makes sense to train this ability directly. Chycki prescribes several exercises to do this. Firstly, there is a safety bar split squat drop where Usyk starts standing in a split stance, then lifts his front foot off the floor and drops into the bottom position of the split squat. 'This is going to spike the overall forces that the body can handle,' McInnes Watson says. 'He's wanting to brace in that bottom position of the split squat, not be soft in the catch, mimicking the braking ability needed in boxing. 'Let's say that he's punching with his left foot forward, and he's using a right handed shot. That left foot is the one that's creating the braking force – if we don't have that, we would topple over. 'We require this left foot to be forward so it can create the braking forces to deal with how we then pull that arm back after the punch.' Usyk also completes lateral lunges against a slant board, stepping forcefully into the lunge then powerfully propelling himself away from the board with his landing foot. This movement trains Usyk to reutilise the energy of the lunge in a different direction, as well as training the side-to-side manoeuvrability he is going to need in the ring. 'It's going to give you much faster lateral movement away from potential shots, getting you out of dangerous positions,' says McInnes Watson. 'And again, it's going to provide the ability to create a lot of force. 'It's also going to help a lot with things like the medial hip complex – you're looking at the general tissue health of the adductors, and that's going to run all the way down into the muscles and tendons in the foot.'
The Independent
19 minutes ago
- The Independent
Pacquiao-Barrios: Seven fighters who defied Father Time to win world titles in their 40s
Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring after a four-year absence to challenge Mario Barrios for his WBC welterweight title on Saturday night. Despite losing his last fight to Yorgenis Ugas in 2021, Pacquiao is going straight back in at the highest level as he looks to become a world champion again at the age of 46. The odds are stacked against the Filipino legend due to his advancing years, but he has pulled off improbable victories before to win belts in eight different weight divisions. Does he have one huge performance left in him? Well, he may take inspiration from several other fighters who defied Father Time to claim full versions of world titles in their 40s, proving that age can be just a number. Vitali Klitschko Let's start with the elder Klitschko brother. Due to the excellence of his younger sibling, Wladimir, and his own injury problems, Vitali Klitschko arguably doesn't get the credit he deserves. But he was a phenomenal fighter in his own right who held a version of the heavyweight title on multiple occasions. Vitali came back into the sport after four years away following fitness issues to claim the WBC title by stopping Samuel Peter in 2008. He would go on to make nine successful defences of his title, culminating with a fourth-round stoppage victory over Manuel Charr. That win came when Vitali was 41 years and 51 days old as he retired on top of the world with an impressive professional record of 45 wins and just two losses. Sam Soliman Soliman is one of the biggest boxing stars to come out of Australia in recent times, but he had to wait patiently to get his moment in the spotlight. Having fallen short when facing fellow Aussie Anthony Mundine for the vacant WBA super-middleweight title in 2007, Soliman got another shot at gold when he challenged Germany's Felix Sturm for his IBF middleweight title seven years later. Soliman entered the ring aged 40 years and 199 days, but he still managed to outwork Sturm to earn a unanimous decision victory in Germany. He became the oldest ever middleweight champion, although his reign was a short one as he was outpointed by Jermain Taylor a little over four months later. Soliman kept fighting for another decade, with his last bout being a points loss to Yuki Nonaka in Japan last year. Thulani Malinga Malinga spent the majority of his career in his homeland of South Africa, but then came over to the UK to challenge Chris Eubank for his WBO super-middleweight title in 1992. Eubank Jr edged a split decision to retain his title, and Malinga then fell short against Nigel Benn and Roy Jones Jr. However, he refused to give up on his dream of winning a world title and he finally got his reward when he avenged his loss to Benn to become champion at 40. He lost his belt in his next fight to Italy's Vincenzo Nardiello, but when Nardiello was beaten by Britain's Robin Reid, Malinga returned to the UK to try and win his title back. Just eight days after turning 42, Malinga beat Reid on points to regain his title in London. Once again, it proved to be a short reign as he then lost on points to another Brit, Richie Woodhall, three months later. George Foreman Foreman had an extraordinary career that spanned over a quarter of a century with a 10-year gap in the middle. During his rise in the early 1970s, Foreman was a wrecking ball off a heavyweight who destroyed everyone in his path until he bumped into Muhammad Ali. That 'Rumble in the Jungle' defeat rocked Foreman and he struggled to get back to his best as he walked away from the sport after a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977. Foreman became a pastor in his hometown in Houston and few expected him to return to the ring, but he made a stunning comeback in 1987. After losing world title fights to Evander Holyfield and Tommy Morrison, Foreman got one final shot at glory against Michael Moorer. 'Big George' was behind on the scorecards going into the latter rounds before unleashing a thunderous right hand that left Moorer out for the count as he became champion again at the age of 45. Foreman defended his IBF belt against Axel Schulz when he was aged 46 years and 102 days, and he remains the oldest heavyweight champion in history. Cornelius Bundrage Bundrage was 15 years into his professional career when he got his first world title opportunity against Cory Spinks. He knocked out his fellow American inside five rounds to capture the IBF light-middleweight title and would go on to make two successful defences before losing to Ishe Smith. That defeat came just a couple of months before his 40th birthday, and some may have expected Bundrage's time at the top level to be over. But he received another chance to reclaim his old belt against Carlos Molina and he took it. Bundrage beat Molina via unanimous decision as he became champion again at 41 years and 169 days old. Eleven months later, Bundrage's time as champion came to an end as he was stopped in the third round by Jermall Charlo. Bernard Hopkins Hopkins was beaten on his professional debut in 1988. Nobody could have predicted what he would go on to achieve. He ruled the middleweight division for the best part of a decade around the turn of the millennium, and then jumped up to light-heavyweight once he had moved into his 40s. Hopkins' clean-living lifestyle meant he was still able to compete with the best and he beat Antonio Tarver to claim The Ring light-heavyweight title in 2006 when he was 41. He lost to Joe Calzaghe two years later, but remained adamant he still had plenty left to offer. Hopkins was proved right as he outpointed Jean Pascal in 2011 to surpass Foreman's record as the oldest world champion ever. Two years later, he was back for more as he beat Tavoris Cloud to win the IBF belt, and he then won a unification clash against Beibut Shumenov when he was 49 years and 94 days old. Hopkins lost the last two fights of his career to Sergey Kovalev and Joe Smith Jr, but his longevity in the sport was simply incredible. Manny Pacquiao It's only right to finish with the man himself who will be looking to roll back the years this weekend. Pacquiao has achieved so much in his career that it is easy to forget he has already won a world title since turning 40. Back in 2019, Pacquiao took on Keith Thurman for the WBA (Super) welterweight title in Las Vegas. 'Pac-Man' knocked his rival down in the first round and then hurt Thurman again with a body shot in the 10th round. There was very little to separate the pair, but it was Pacquiao who got the nod by split decision as he was crowned champion at 40. Six years on, Pacquiao may feel that a similar performance could get the job done against Barrios. But does he have enough left in the tank? We will get our answer on Saturday night.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois 2: Classic heavyweight rematches revisited
Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois will lock horns once more in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night for the right to be called the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Their first meeting two years ago went the way of the Ukrainian, but Dubois maintains that a low blow that floored Usyk in the fifth round was a legitimate shot and should have led to a knockout victory in his favour. After being given time to recover, Usyk regained control of the contest and went on to stop his British rival inside nine rounds. Now, Dubois will have the chance for revenge in a highly-anticipated return bout. There have been some classic heavyweight rematches - let's take a look at 10 of the very best… Lennox Lewis vs Hasim Rahman Lennox Lewis was the best heavyweight on the planet by a distance at the turn of the millennium and he was not expected to be significantly challenged when he travelled to South Africa to face Hasim Rahman in April 2001. But in the fifth round, Lewis was caught by a huge overhand right and he was in no position to continue when he rose to his feet as Rahman pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent heavyweight history. Lewis would later claim that he had been distracted by activities away from the ring, while the high altitude in South Africa was also raised as a potential reason for his lacklustre performance. Seven months later, Lewis went back in with Rahman, this time in Las Vegas. A razor-focused Lewis took control from the opening bell, and in the fourth round he picked his moment to unleash a vicious right hand that left Rahman flat on his back. The referee did not even need to count, and Lewis had his redemption. Muhammad Ali vs Henry Cooper Muhammad Ali faced the hugely popular Henry Cooper at Wembley in June 1963, and it almost all went horribly wrong for 'The Greatest'. In the closing stages of the fourth round, Cooper landed his signature left hook on Ali's jaw to knock the American down. The bell rang shortly afterwards, and Ali was then given extra time in his corner after his trainer Angelo Dundee pointed out to the referee a split in one of his gloves. That was enough time for Ali to recover and he went back out to stop Cooper on cuts the following round. After narrowly avoiding a shock loss, Ali would go on to become world champion in 1964, but two years later he returned to London to face Cooper again at Highbury. Despite Cooper having the crowd behind him, Ali dominated the rematch and picked up a sixth-round stoppage victory. Gene Tunney vs Jack Dempsey This rematch from September 1927 has gone down in folklore as 'The Long Count Fight'. Jack Dempsey had been the best heavyweight for the first half of the 1920s but was surprisingly beaten on points by Gene Tunney in 1926. The return fight took place a year later and Dempsey knocked Tunney down in the seventh round. However, Dempsey did not go to the neutral corner immediately, leading to the count starting late. Almost a century later, debate still remains over how important those extra few seconds were for Tunney as he bounced back to secure another unanimous decision win. It would prove to be the final fight of Dempsey's glittering career, while Tunney fought once more before hanging up his gloves. Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder Tyson Fury was only months into his comeback from almost three years away from the ring when he fought Deontay Wilder for the first time in December 2018. The Brit showed few signs of ring rust as he boxed off the back foot to earn a draw, despite being knocked down twice. A rematch simply had to happen, and it was scheduled for February 2020. After having a little over a year to make adjustments, Fury completely changed his tactics and walked down Wilder from the first bell. His front-foot strategy worked as he knocked Wilder down twice and then trapped his rival in the corner, leading to Wilder's corner throwing the towel in during the seventh round. The rematch was conclusive enough for most fans, but a third fight did take place the following year. Once again, it was Fury who came out on top, this time stopping Wilder in the 11th round. Lennox Lewis vs Evander Holyfield The battle for heavyweight supremacy saw Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield face one another in March 1999. Many ringside observers felt Lewis did more than enough to get his hand raised, but the fight was scored a split decision draw to the disgust of the Brit. Exactly eight months later, it was time to settle the score. The Las Vegas rematch appeared far closer than the first fight, but this time there was a winner. Lewis was declared the victor to become the final undisputed champion of the 20th century. Muhammad Ali vs Leon Spinks Ali was way past his best when he suffered a surprise loss to Leon Spinks in February 1978 to relinquish his heavyweight titles. The days of the 'Rumble in the Jungle' and the 'Thrilla in Manila' were long gone, and many wondered how much Ali had left. He accepted an immediate rematch with Spinks as he tried to become a three-time heavyweight champion at the age of 36. The ageing legend had to dig deep to overcome his much younger foe, but managed to get over the line to get a decision victory. It would prove to be the final win of his iconic career. Joe Louis vs Max Schmeling The two fights between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling came at a time of rising political tensions in the 1930s. Louis was the most successful black boxer of the time, while Schmeling hailed from Germany who were being ruled by the Nazis. It was Schmeling who took Louis' unbeaten record in 1936 by stopping his opponent in the 12th round. Louis got his shot at revenge two years later, and he took it emphatically. The heavyweight great knocked his opponent out in the first round to regain his crown. Evander Holyfield vs Riddick Bowe Riddick Bowe ended Evander Holyfield's reign as heavyweight champion when he outpointed him in November 1992 in Las Vegas. It was a highly-competitive contest, leading to a rematch being arranged for the following year. Once again, both men stood toe-to-toe as they exchanged leather but there was one particular incident that the rematch will always be remembered for. During the second minute of the seventh round, parachutist James 'Fan Man' Miller crashed into the ring, causing the bout to be delayed by 21 minutes. Once the fight resumed, Holyfield went on to record a majority decision win. A trilogy bout followed, with Bowe knocking Holyfield out in the eighth round to end their rivalry. Muhammad Ali vs Sonny Liston Ali was the underdog when he was handed the chance to dethrone Sonny Liston in February 1964. But after trash-talking Liston for months, Ali then delivered in the ring as he outboxed his rival over six rounds to announce himself as the best heavyweight in the world. The following year, in his first fight since changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, the rematch took place. The second fight was even easier for Ali as he knocked Liston out in a little over two minutes. A right hand sent Liston down, although some were unconvinced as to how well the blow connected. It became known as the 'Phantom Punch' with some questioning whether Liston may have stayed down to intentionally lose the fight. Evander Holyfield vs Mike Tyson We've saved the most controversial for last. Mike Tyson had regained his titles from Frank Bruno when he fought Holyfield for the first time, but it was Holyfield who upset the odds to stop Tyson in the 11th round. It was an all-time classic bout, with Holyfield having to withstand Tyson's early onslaughts before coming on strong in the latter part of the fight. The rematch took place the following summer, with Tyson aiming to follow in Ali's footsteps by becoming a three-time champion. However, Tyson quickly grew frustrated with what he believed to be excessive use of the head by Holyfield. In a moment that has gone down in boxing history, Tyson stunningly decided to bite Holyfield's ear. Holyfield immediately reacted furiously, but the referee did not initially spot what had happened. Tyson went in for a second bite, and this time the referee did intervene as he stepped in to disqualify Tyson. Pandemonium ensued in the ring as security tried to keep both teams apart. Tyson was handed a suspension, and did not return to the ring for another 18 months.
